Plain Truth, by Jodi Picoult

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The discovery of a dead infant in an Amish barn shakes Lancaster County to its core. But the police investigation leads to a more shocking disclosure: circumstantial evidence suggests that eighteen-year-old Katie Fisher, an unmarried Amish woman believed to be the newborn's mother, took the child's life. 

When Ellie Hathaway, a disillusioned big-city attorney, comes to Paradise, Pennsylvania, to defend Katie, two cultures collide -- and for the first time in her high-profile career, Ellie faces a system of justice very different from her own. 

Delving deep inside the world of those who live "plain," Ellie must find a way to reach Katie on her terms. And as she unravels a tangled murder case, Ellie also looks deep within -- to confront her own fears and desires when a man from her past reenters her life.



Jodi Picoult does a fantastic job of creating a world: the setting, the stories, and the characters are so realistic that I often forget that I'm reading (or listening to, as the case may be) a fictional account.  

Living without most modern conveniences is fascinating in a thank-goodness-it's-not-me way, but I can't say I've given great thought to the Amish way of life.  It's a complete 180 degrees from what I'm used to: getting up late, relying on electricity, and being a heathen.  So I honestly wasn't sure that I wanted to read this book.  What could I possibly find entertaining?  Since I seem to have a love-it-or-hate-it relationship with Picoult's works, I figured this would end up in the hate it pile.

So I was pleasantly surprised when I was drawn into Ellie's and Katie's lives.

Did Katie do it?  Can Ellie save her?  I couldn't decide if she was innocent or guilty until the very end.  And the conclusion left me reeling, my friends.  It's an eye-popper and a jaw-dropper; I certainly didn't see that one coming.